Colors: I Believe In Pink
by Liv Wilder
Summary: Follow-up to 'Some Days Are Just One Big Grey Area'. "Hey, Beckett. Miss me already?" replies Castle, still focused on the image of her face smiling up at him from his cell phone screen in the second before he answered the call, thus completely missing her excited tone. "Castle!" she interrupts, adrenalin still coursing through her. "I said I have something to tell you." COMPETE


_A/N: This story is a follow-up to 'Grey', in which Kate tells Castle about her awkward discussion with Captain Gates. Because a few people asked and because it seemed like a fun conversation._

* * *

"_I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and...I believe in miracles"._

_-**Audrey Hepburn**, Actress_

* * *

___**I Believe In Pink**_

_Previously... (Final scene to 'Some Days Life Is Just One Big Grey Area')_

_Kate walks back out to her desk in a daze, slowly sinks down onto her chair, stretching her long legs out in front of her, suddenly feeling exhausted. It's barely after nine a.m._

_She picks up the phone and begins to dial, waiting impatiently for the call to connect._

_Excitement laces her voice when she speaks._

_"Castle? It's me. I have something to tell you."_

* * *

"Hey, Beckett. Miss me already?" replies Castle, still focused on the image of her face smiling up at him from his cell phone screen in the second before he answered the call, thus completely missing her excited tone.

"Castle!" she interrupts, adrenalin still coursing through her. "I said I have something to tell you."

"Oooo! Sounds exciting. But you do miss me, right?" he needles, cockily.

Kate smiles, unable to help herself when she hears the suggestive leer in her boyfriend's…ahem…_partner's_ voice. But then she spots Captain Gates staring at her through the open office blinds and she instantly sobers up.

She swivels her chair round to face the wall and whispers into the receiver.

"You _know_ I miss you."

"Miss who?" pipes up Ryan, loud enough to grab Esposito's attention.

Kate sighs. This day just keeps getting better, and it's still only 9.05am.

"Is that Castle? Yo, bro! What up?" yells Esposito from two desks away, and Kate swings round to stare at him, miming that she'll slit his throat if he doesn't keep it down.

When Kate hazards another glance at Gates' office, the woman's eyes have narrowed to slits. She is _definitely_ going to kill Esposito…and then make Ryan help her bury the body.

* * *

"Kate? Kate are you still there?"

Castle's disembodied voice drifting into her ear startles her out of her murderous thoughts.

"Barely," she answers without thinking, sending her partner into a head-shaking, frowning panic.

"Are you okay? Did you hit your head or something? Because you sound a little…"

"A little _what?_" snaps Kate, spinning away from the direction of Gates' office again, catching the boys hovering, poised to listen in to her call, as her chair carries her round to face the murder board.

"Hey! _You_ called me, remember? You sounded so upbeat just a second ago."

"I know. I know. I'm sorry," groans Kate, dropping her head into her hand.

"Hey. Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong," sooths Castle, his voice like liquid balm, calming her irritation even over the phone.

Kate bites her lip, glances down at her father's watch, the urge to see him overwhelming commonsense. Then she stands, the phone still pressed to her ear.

"Look, I can't talk here. Meet me for lunch," she says hurriedly, into the handset.

"Sure. Remy's or…?"

"I don't care. Eh…that little place on the corner opposite your building is fine."

"The coffee shop?" asks Castle, sounding surprised.

"Luca's, yeah."

"But they got a 'C' grade from the Department of Health last month," he whines.

"_Castle_…" warns Kate, not in the mood for his antics right now.

"Fine. But don't blame me if we get food poisoning," he sighs, resigned, since they've had this argument before. (He lost that one too.) "What time?"

"In…can you be there in twenty?" she asks, already shrugging on her coat.

"For _lunch_?" squeaks Castle, looking at the clock on the end table, wondering if he dozed off again and failed to notice. Nope!

"Lunch, coffee, whatever. Castle, I don't care. I just…I need to see you," she whispers.

"Okay. Okay. That's all you had to say," he reassures her. "And Kate?" he calls out, before she can hang up, a goofy smile on his face that she can't see but that transmits down the line in his voice just fine.

"What?" she asks distractedly, struggling to free her hair from under her long, pink scarf, while she switches the phone to her other ear.

"I love you too."

Kate laughs, her cheeks quickly taking on the rosy blush tone of the scarf; like a chameleon sitting on a piece of rose quartz.

"Me too," she sings into the phone, keeping one eye on the boys. "And hey, Castle?"

"Yes, dear?" he grins, feeling bold since she's too far away to hurt him right now.

Kate ignores the term of endearment and bites her lip to stop her smile from completely splitting her cheeks.

"Pajama pants are not acceptable public attire," she reminds him, pressing her fingers over her mouth to suppress a laugh.

"One time!" he sighs, laughing with her. "And I was on _pain meds_."

"Yeah, well, Mrs. Kozlouski in 3b nearly got an eyeful when you felt me up in the elevator and got yourself a little…eh…_worked up_. So put some proper pants on. Sweats…anything…just something with _substance_," she tells him, before hanging up, his laughter still ringing in her ear.

* * *

"You're telling writer boy what to wear now?" asks Esposito, shaking his head, and he's so close Kate almost elbows him in the face.

"Jeez, Espo! Way to sneak up on someone."

He flinches backwards and gives Ryan a look.

"I'm going to lunch," Kate tells the boys, glancing at Gates' office, and ignoring Esposito's gibe.

"Lunch? But it's like…not even nine-thirty," says Ryan, checking his own watch.

"Coffee then," growls Kate, taking her purse out of her bottom drawer. "Just…would you cover for me?" she asks the two Detectives, who are currently staring at her like she's a crazy person.

"Whoa, what was that all about?" asks Esposito, once Kate disappears into the elevator.

"Conference with Gates, then all kissy-kissy with Castle on the phone…"

"And then she runs out on us, bro. Only one thing it could be."

"She's _pregnant!_" they both exclaim at the same time.

"Yep, two little pink lines. That's where my money's going," says Esposito.

"Start a pool?" asks Ryan, fist-bumping his partner.

"I'm totally going with it's a _boy_," says Esposito, holding out his hand for Ryan's money. "Beckett's testosterone levels are totally gonna trump Castle's frilly side this time for sure."

"Castle has a frilly side?" asks Ryan, frowning at his computer screen.

"Do bees make honey, bro?" asks Esposito, looking at his partner as if he's an idiot.

Ryan looks puzzled for a second and then he spins back around.

"Dude, do _I_ have a frilly side?"

* * *

Kate leaves her car in the parking garage, deciding to take the subway since it'll get her there faster.

She take the steps two at a time when she emerges from Spring Street Station, almost colliding with a man carrying a toddler when she turns sharp right into Lafayette. She calls out an apology over her shoulder, hurrying on down the street, her badge still clipped to her hip beneath her coat, the cold chill of metal and leather pressing against her bare stomach where her shirt has ridden up in her haste to get here quickly.

She covers the two blocks to Broome Street in no time, hugging the wall as she turns the corner to avoid running into anyone else.

An old lady walking a poodle, its coat dyed the same pale suggestion of pink as its owner's hair – both fine and fluffy like cotton candy - doddles on the sidewalk in front of her. So Kate swerves around them, stepping out into the roadway to make her way past.

She spots the florist shop across the street, the fancy one situated beneath Castle's apartment building, and she smiles at the owner, lifting her hand in greeting. The woman helped her pick out a display for his surprise birthday party, and she waves back at Kate, her cheeks lifting in an expression of pleasant surprise when she recognizes the Detective. The window display is stunning as usual; a pink confection made up of peony roses, allium, dahlia and tulips. But she has no time to stop and admire. She hurries on until she reaches the corner and the bright orange frontage of Luca's coffee shop.

* * *

Castle is already inside. His back is to her, but she would never fail to recognize him now – that shock of dark hair she loves to run her fingers through, the dip at the nape of his neck that she presses her nose into when she kisses the top of his spine making him groan out in pure pleasure, the warm, bare skin left exposed by the low cut of his black t-shirt and grey hoodie.

She spies a royal blue and white sneaker sticking out into the aisle between the narrow tables - his good leg - and she nudges it lightly, planting her hands firmly on his shoulders to stop him from jumping in surprise and upsetting the coffee cup he has sitting in front of him.

"Glad to see you dressed up for me," she whispers in his ear, watching from the side as a grin broadens out his cheeks and he turns his head to capture her mouth in a sideways kiss.

It's sloppy and wet and he tastes of coffee and something altogether sweeter. She has her arms draped around his shoulders as she leans over him, her breasts pressed up against his spine, losing herself for several seconds to the wondrous ravages of his tongue, before she pulls back with a soft sound of release and a heartfelt sigh, squeezing his shoulder and then running one hand over the back of his head affectionately.

"You should have said the dress code was formal, Beckett," he scolds her playfully, his delight at having her back here barely an hour after she left home, the kisses, the touching, all showing on his face.

"Just teasing," she tells him, sitting down in the seat opposite, dropping her purse on the chair beside her and then signaling for the young man behind the counter to bring her an Americano, as she unwraps the vibrant pink scarf from around her neck and places it on top of her bag.

Her cheeks are flushed from the cold air outside, from her exertion to get here as fast as she could, and from the exciting news she has to share with her partner.

"Oh, you want anything?" she asks Castle, when her coffee arrives just seconds later, and she peers over into his half-empty cup, spying the plate sitting alongside it, a suspicious layer of crumbs coating the scratched porcelain.

"No, I'm good," he tells the young guy, handing him off the offending plate, obviously hoping Kate won't spot it.

"What did we say about treats?" asks Kate, arching one eyebrow at him as she prepares to take a sip of her coffee.

"That was breakfast," replies Castle, without hesitation.

"I _made_ you breakfast before I left. _That_ looked more like a cream cheese Danish, Castle. With pink frosting," she adds, shaking her head at him.

"How do you _do_ that?" he whines.

"I'm sorry, have we not met? Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD," she replies with a smirk, unclipping her badge from the waist of her pants and holding up in front of him.

"Very funny," grumbles Castle, challenging her sarcasm by dipping a baby biscotti into his cup.

Kate sips her coffee quietly for a few seconds, deciding not to push it any further with talk of diets, even if he has been going off the rails a little since he's been stuck at home recuperating. She knows he's only eating because he's bored and they'll both get back to the gym once he has been cleared by the doctor. But she also knows that he's going to moan the second he steps on the scales before they leave for Bora Bora, when he discovers too late that all of his pants are too tight. And _that_, she isn't looking forward to one little bit – the whiny face, the pouty lip, the '_Beckett why didn't you stop me buying those red velvet cupcakes from the Magnolia Bakery_?' She's heard it all before, so she decides to ignore it for now to concentrate on her good news.

* * *

"So, aside from missing me terribly," Castle begins to tease, nudging her foot under the table with his good leg, "what was the big rush to meet up for lunch…at ten a.m.?"

"I know, I know. You sound just like the boys," she laughs, shaking her head, her cheeks flushing at how ridiculous it now seems that she cut out on work to get here just to see him.

But talking to Gates this morning, she realized just how much she loves working with Castle and how under threat their partnership really had been lately, if the Captain hadn't agreed to look the other way where department rules were concerned.

"Why? Was your dance card full this morning, Castle?" she teases, when he won't stop playing with her foot. "Did I ruin your plans?"

"I _had_ plans. _Big_ plans," he insists, until Kate stares him down. "Okay, I had _no_ plans," he confesses, smiling helplessly when she bursts out laughing at him. "I seriously need to get back to work," he complains, looking down at his strapped up leg. "You're losing all respect for me."

"Hey, I'm laughing _with_ you. And whose work are we talking here?"

"The Twelfth. I miss it," he says a little petulantly, leaning over the table to add, "I miss _you_," as he covers her hand with his, "and the guys. I miss the guys," he says fiercely, lightly thudding the table with his fist in a childish show of frustration.

"_Oh_…it's the _boys_ you really miss. Now the truth comes tumbling out," she giggles, withdrawing her hand from under his and leaning back in her chair, arms crossed.

"Do they miss _me_?" he asks, raising his eyes to look at her.

"Not quite sure about that. They wanted to auction off your chair the other day. Figured if they could get you to sign it, they might make a few bucks on eBay," she teases, watching his face fall. "But Gates misses you," she adds brightly, toying with a pink sachet of Sweet'NLow.

"Gates?" asks Castle, a little uneasily. "Why? What'd _she_ say?"

"She called me into her office this morning. Asked me about your birthday party."

"She…? What about my birthday party _exactly_?" he asks, his tone instantly suspicious.

"If you were surprised? Did you have fun? She hoped you appreciated all the effort…blah, blah… _Oh_, and I may have shared a little more information that she was looking for," Kate finally confesses, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink.

"About the party?"

"Eh…not exactly," she winces.

"Then what? Oh, god, you didn't tell her about that time the men's room was locked and I peed in her potted plant, did you?"

"Castle, you went to the_ bathroom_ in _Gates'_ office?" asks Kate, appalled.

"In a rubber tree plant. Not on her rug or anything."

"Oh…oh, well that's fine then," she pretends, before rounding on him. "Castle, what were you _thinking_?" she hisses.

"That I needed to go really badly?" he offers with a shrug. "I was with the guys, we had a few beers, things may have gotten slightly out of…"

"Okay. You know what? The less I know about this the better. Especially after what just happened this morning."

"Why? What happened this morning?" he asks slowly, watching Kate's face very carefully.

"I might have said some things."

"Might have…? And what _things_ exactly?"

"About the ski trip. About _us_…on the ski trip," she adds, mouthing '_sorry'_ and biting her lip.

"Oh god. Oh god, no. What the hell happened?"

"She asked me about your _knee_," explains Kate, in a rather high-pitched voice, now her turn to whine.

"And…?" ask Castle, lowering his voice and leaning in.

"I ended up telling her it was a skiing accident and then I confessed that we both went on the trip…"

"You _what?_"

"I _know!_ It was _stupid_. _Really_ stupid. But I thought she already _knew_ and I started making you out to be this idiot of a klutz on a pair of skis and she of course was totally buying it and I felt so bad for lying about you…because you're actually a _really_ good skier, Castle, and…"

"Thanks," smiles Castle, forgetting the predicament they're in for a second to bask in the warm glow of her praise.

"Castle, _focus!_" admonishes Kate.

"Right. Sorry. So what else did you say?"

"I told her we stayed in a chalet," shrugs Kate. "In Aspen. With five bedrooms," she frowns.

"Kate, you didn't"

"I did."

"And what did _she_ say?"

"We…you know you're gonna laugh at this…"

"Are you _sure_ about that?" he asks, a little crossly. "Because you know how much I've been looking forward to going back to work with you."

"Turns out we were talking at cross purposes. She asked '_how long_' and I thought she meant '_how long were we away'_."

"Oh god," groans Castle, dropping his head into this hands. "Tell me this isn't happening."

He lifts his head to look at her again.

"What _did_ she mean?" he asks.

"How long until CSU can get us some DNA results," confesses Kate, wincing again. "I felt like such an idiot."

"I'll bet," blurts Castle.

"Hey! Thanks for your support!"

"Sorry. Okay, so…give it to me straight? Am I off the team?"

"No. We can still be partners."

"Wait…back up a second. So Gates _knows_ about _us?_"

"Mmm-hmm," nods Kate, allowing her excitement to show through finally, her whole face lighting up.

"And she's fine with it?"

"Well, not _fine_ exactly. But we can still work together. Isn't that great?"

"But there are rules?" he asks, his tone assuming.

"How did you know?"

"This is Iron Gates we're talking about. There are _always_ rules," Castle points out.

"True," murmurs Kate, still smiling at him.

"So…? Don't keep me in suspense."

"Oh, the rules. Okay, let me think. How did she put it? Oh, yeah, that's right. '_Keep your hands to yourselves in my precinct'_," laughs Kate, lowering her voice when an old man over by the window turns to stare at them.

"Seriously?" yells Castle, gleefully rocking back and forth in his chair. "She actually _said_ that?"

"Uh-huh," nods Kate. "It was excruciating. I couldn't wait to get out of there."

"I'll bet. So that was it? She just agreed?"

"No, not exactly. She _is_ concerned that our relationship might cause problems when we're out in the field."

"You don't think saw us on the in-car camera, do you? That night when we…you know?" he nods, widening his eyes and gesturing with his hands.

"Oh god. I didn't even think of that! She questioned whether I could make the best decision for the team. Questioned my objectivity, I guess. Whether I could choose head over heart."

"What did you say to that?"

"I told her that we'd worked together for so long now, pointed out that we had each other's backs, how well you fit into the team. I gave the example of when Alexis was kidnapped to prove my point. I acted like a cop then, Castle, not your girlfriend. I did my job."

"And she agreed?"

"She wanted to know if _you_ could differentiate too. When I insisted that we could, she said she believed we could too. Said she just needed to hear it from me."

"So we're in the clear?"

Kate takes Castle's hand and nods, smiling.

"We're in the clear for now. Oh, but she wants you to keep my Valentine's gift at home next year," grins Kate, shyly.

"Next year I am giving you your gift in private. Don't worry. I'm not going to make that mistake twice."

"Good. Because those earrings…" she says, shaking her head regretfully at the memory of the stunning piece of jewelry she missed out on.

* * *

They drink their coffee in silence for a few seconds, until Kate drains her cup and quietly places it back down on the table.

"You know, I think what happened this morning, though it was completely embarrassing at the time, was actually for the best."

"How do you figure that?"

"I had no idea how…how much this has been hanging over me until I was in there and had to fight for us, persuade her that we could make this work, Castle. The thought of not being able to have you as my partner anymore…"

Kate shakes her head, toying with the packet of sweetener again.

"You know, this is so ironic, when you think about how resistant I was to having you follow me around four years ago. I hated it."

"You hated _me_," he says quietly.

"No," she shakes her head, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand. "No, never that. I just…I don't like being told what to do. You know that. And having Montgomery, the Mayor, forcing you onto my team…" she shrugs. "I guess we don't always know what's good for us."

"I always knew you'd be good for me," he says plainly.

"Then I'm glad you were a better judge than me. You did us both a favor."

* * *

Kate looks at her watch.

"I'd better get back. Don't want to give Gates a reason to discipline me before you even get a chance to return to work. See you tonight. I'll pick-up dinner on my way home."

She lifts up her pink scarf, wrapping it carefully around her neck, the soft fabric draping artfully down the front of her navy raincoat, the black leather sleeves adding a hard edge to the look, making it a perfect blend of _Kate_ and _Beckett_ – the stylish, feminine woman and the tough, relentless cop.

Castle watches her, already missing her, but resisting the urge to tell her so, since it won't help either of them. They know where they stand now and that's more than enough.

"Hey, Kate," he says, as she hoists her bag onto her shoulder, preparing to leave. "Thanks for coming down here to tell me in person. Means a lot."

"Partners, right?" she says cheerfully, winking at him, before leaning down to kiss him goodbye.

She lingers for several seconds, her cheek pressed against his, her nose buried against his neck, inhaling the fresh-from-the-shower scent of him, her fingers stroking the soft fleece of his hoodie, thinking that she will never tire of this man and all the things that she loves about him.

"Okay," she says finally, straightening up with some reluctance. "I'd better go."

Castle catches her hand and tugs her back towards him, unwilling to let her leave.

"You look good in pink, Kate," he tells her, lifting her hand to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. "You should wear it more often."

"I'll see you tonight," she beams back. "Text me what you fancy for dinner."

Castle grins salaciously and Kate shakes her head at him, grinning too.

"I meant food, silly man," she scolds.

"And I was thinking _dessert_," he replies, finally letting her go.

They part with a wave and a smile. Kate blows him a kiss as she passes by the cafe window.

She's still smiling when she reaches the corner of Crosby and Spring, her steps quick and her heart lighter than it has felt in years as she descends back down into the subway alone.

* * *

**Pink**, _noun_: this color represents compassion, nurturing and love. It relates to unconditional love and understanding, and the giving and receiving of nurturing.

Pink is feminine and romantic, affectionate and intimate, thoughtful and caring. It tones down the physical passion of red replacing it with a gentle loving energy.

Pink is intuitive and insightful, showing tenderness and kindness with its empathy and sensitivity.

The color pink represents the sweetness and innocence of the child in all of us. It is the color of uncomplicated emotions, inexperience and naiveté.

Commonly used for Valentine's Day, pink is sometimes referred to as "the color of love."

* * *

_A/N: Thank you so much for reading. Love to hear your thoughts._


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